Biographies

Michael Rosen is a children’s author, poet, presenter and political activist from England. Born in Greater London, from an early age Rosen demonstrated a strong affinity with words, with some of his earliest poems being written around the age of twelve. Later, his passion for writing led him to Wadham College, Oxford, where he studied English Language and Literature.

Rosen’s breakthrough in playwriting came in 1969 when his play entitled ‘Backbone’ was performed at the Royal Court Theatre. However, it was through children’s writings and poetry, that Rosen truly cemented himself as a household name, with notable titles including the generation-spanning picture book “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”. His writings have established Rosen as one of the most beloved children’s authors in the United Kingdom.

Nicola Baldwin is an English scriptwriter, playwright and director. Born in Yorkshire, Baldwin attended University College London, studying English. In 1993, the first of Baldwin’s plays, entitled ‘Confetti’, achieved two prestigious playwright accolades: The Time Out and George Divine awards.

Throughout her career Baldwin has produced work with the Royal Court Theatre, Sheffield Crucible and Manchester Royal Exchange. Baldwin has held positions at the Drama Centre London, where she was an associate lecturer between 2005 and 2012, and at the Royal Court, where she worked as a writers’ tutor for the young writer’s programme between 1997 and 2000. Now based in London, Baldwin continues to produce plays for radio and television and remains active in the theatre industry, working alongside schools and venues and co-directing for the new theatre company: Furious Theatre

Amina Atiq is an award-winning poet, performance artist and activist. A Liverpudlian of Yemeni heritage, Atiq’s poetry and activism has earned her wide commendation. Atiq has been the recipient of several notable awards including Best North West Volunteer and the Liverpool John Moore’s University Citizenship Award and has been featured in The Independent, as well as radio stations including BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 6.

Atiq is currently involved in several projects and programmes, including The Curious Minds Young Associates programme. She also works alongside Metal Culture UK, an organisation committed to generating artistic opportunities for people from all kinds of backgrounds. In 2021, Atiq was heavily involved with the online project Scouse Pilgrimage and is also in the process of writing her own show ‘Broken Biscuits’, which explores the experience of her grandmother’s 1970s Yemeni-British household.

Mercedes Kemp is a writer, fine art coordinator at Falmouth University and Director of Community Research at WildWorks theatre company. Born in Zamora and raised in Andalucía, southern Spain, Kemp now resides in Cornwall, southwest England. Kemp is a key member of the team at WildWorks, a Cornwall based theatre organisation which prides itself in its unique and thought-provoking artistic projects.

Kemp shares a close family connection to prolific Spanish novelist Ramón J. Sender and musician and activist Amparo Barayón, to whom she is grandniece. Kemp worked closely with her cousin Ramón Sender Barayón, editing both editions of his ‘Muerte en Zamora’, which act as both an insightful personal account of the Spanish Civil War and as a search for the memory of Amparo Barayón, Ramon’s mother.

Glenn Patterson is an award-winning writer and novelist from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Patterson achieved an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where he currently occupies the position of writer in residence.

The author of eight novels, several radio plays for BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4 and the film, ‘Good Vibrations’ (2013), for which he co-wrote the screenplay, Patterson is one of Northern Ireland’s most prolific contemporary writers and has been the recipient of multiple awards, including the Betty Trask Award and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature.